What is the average weight of a sumo wrestler. The average weight of a sumo wrestler. Sumo wrestler weight The lightest sumo wrestler

On TV, they seem funny, sort of fat girls in funny bandages. They raise their legs high, make strange noises, and then grab each other and try to fall down.

Probably, every person who sometimes looks through a sports channel thought to himself that sumo is not a sport at all, rather, entertainment, fun for the audience. But who would have known what emotions are in the air at these competitions, how long the path of learning is and how important it is to understand the philosophy of combat correctly in order to reach the heights! What is the average weight of a sumo wrestler? Does it have to be big or is it a stereotype?

What is "sumo"

Japan seems to us a country of refined traditions, long tea parties, patient eating of rice with chopsticks, a country of miniature women who do not acquire wrinkles in old age and retain the legs of a ballerina. How could sumo appear in a country with the most correct nutrition system? I must say that the martial art of sumo came from antiquity. The first mention of it is found 2 thousand years ago. This explains the abundance of ancient myths and legends associated with such a struggle. Then the importance of the struggle was enormous, because the winners became the rulers of the country or were even called gods. Although several countries claim the right to be the inventor of sumo wrestling, the Japanese still consider it theirs. Painfully much contains traditions and customs.

Is there a maximum for a wrestler

Is there a standard weight for a sumo wrestler? After all, many people still believe that if there is everything you want without control, then you can go to sumo wrestling. I want to dispel these myths once and for all - a weak-willed person who has gained a life-threatening amount of kilograms will not be able to adapt to wrestling. So you need to gain weight wisely. By the way, not every sumo wrestler has a lot of weight: there are weight categories in sumo. So it's not the size, but the quality and depth of knowledge. The biggest wrestler was found in America. With a solid growth of 2 meters and 3 centimeters, it weighs 313 kilograms. It must be thought that in a fight he is invincible! But he has such a weight on his health, because excess body weight affects the state of the liver, heart, kidneys. Arthritis, diabetes and hypertension begin to progress.

The Japanese are distinguished by a healthy lifestyle, which is why they live on average up to 82 years, but sumo wrestlers often barely live up to 60. After all, physical fitness rarely gets along with being overweight. The Japanese are also very measured people, therefore, after the completion of a sports career, which, by the way, a sumo wrestler can only be up to 35 years old, they return to a moderate diet, adhering to balanced sports loads. Over the course of several years, they lose weight. If you look at the weight of a sumo wrestler with the eyes of a professional nutritionist, you will find serious deviations from the norm. Thus, a sumo wrestler is 2.5 times higher than that of a healthy person. To get into such a shape, you need to eat according to a special diet and lead a lifestyle prescribed for athletes. But stereotypes do not work here, because sumo wrestlers gain weight by no means by absorbing a huge mass of food with a predominance of fat.

How to gain weight

The question may seem strange, because in the media a slender and athletic body is cultivated with might and main, and not shaking folds, but sumo wrestlers do not look like ordinary overweight people. They stay fit, strong and active. The requirements for the daily routine of sumo wrestlers are strict, but somehow subtly resemble the daily routine in kindergarten. It is understandable, because it is not so easy to gain the weight of a sumo wrestler. In addition to a clear number of meals, they have time for sleep. At first glance, it seems that here it is - the dream of a sweet tooth and a lover of delicious food! But it's not that simple. Sumo wrestlers eat twice a day, and both times before bedtime, as calories are absorbed faster in a dream. A sumo wrestler who respects himself and his coach cannot uncontrollably eat a chocolate bar or sit all evening in front of the TV with a pack of chips, because he has a special menu focused on the accumulation of fat reserves, but in order for the weight to be distributed evenly, the fats consumed must be correct. So, wrestlers start their day with a long workout on an empty stomach. The training lasts from 4 to 6 hours, and in terms of complexity it is as great as that of a ballerina. Hypothetically, such activity should speed up the metabolism and burn fat, but in reality it leads to a decrease in the metabolic rate, which the smart body perceives as an alarm signal and begins to stock up on fuel for the future. By the way, losing weight girls who deny themselves breakfast and cannot control the amount of food they eat can take note of this, and therefore overeat for lunch. After training, the wrestler has lunch, and the calorie content of lunch should not fall below 10 thousand calories! That is, for lunch, a sumo wrestler must consume the daily norm of eight adults! After dinner, you need to sleep for 3-4 hours so that the body has time to convert the calories received into fat. Waking up, it's time to start the second workout. And then another 10 thousand calories for dinner and sleep.

Pleasant gastronomic delights

But the described daily routine does not mean that the wrestler should push food into his mouth, even when he is not hungry. Yes, and you don’t need to cut yourself completely in the consumption of goodies. The weight of a sumo wrestler allows you to drink beer and sake with meals, but alcohol does not carry nutritional value. During the meal, the wrestlers communicate and sometimes get so carried away that they don’t notice how they eat a huge portion. Especially for weight gain, they are treated to a dish with an intriguing name - “chanko-nabe”. The recipe contains a lot of meat, rice and vegetables. Meat is better to take fatter, and vegetables are more satisfying. At home, you can cook from everything that is in the refrigerator, that is, you can take beef, pork, poultry, fish and seafood. The meat is dressed with bean paste and sesame oil, and the aroma is given by ginger, garlic and soy sauce. Do not forget about the side dish, for which rice is stewed with tofu, eggplant, Chinese cabbage, carrots, radishes and spinach. Japanese noodles with eggs, mushrooms and seaweed will not be superfluous in the recipe. A couple of years on a diet with such a main dish - and the average weight of a sumo wrestler will be 150-200 kg. And the secret to quickly gaining mass is to consume this enchanting amount of calories before bed. Note that with an abundance of ingredients, wrestlers do not consume fast carbohydrates, flour and sugar. That is, in fact, they do not eat anything harmful, therefore they do not pollute their body and after the end of their career they can easily return to their original weight. It is this approach that distinguishes the Japanese from Europeans, who can cut to the limit the amount of vegetables and fruits consumed in favor of fried potatoes and chocolate donuts.

History of sumo

As already mentioned, sumo appeared in antiquity. The first data on wrestling date back to the middle of the 7th century. In 642, a wrestling tournament was held at the Emperor's court in honor of a Korean ambassador. The tournament was a success due to the spectacle and emotionality of the fight, so it set a trend and was held annually by the end of the field work in the fall. A ring was formed on a hill, or, as it is called, a dohyo, outside of which there were sharp stakes. There were also rules. You can’t hit an opponent with an open palm, you can’t aim at the eyes and genitals. Still, sumo is noble, so there is a ban on chokeholds. You can not grab the hair, ears and fingers.

But slaps, pushes, grips on parts of the mawashi are allowed, except for those that cover the genitals. In amateur sumo, how much a sumo wrestler weighs is important, as pairs are formed according to weight. But professional wrestling does not recognize weight categories. The main thing is the average weight of a sumo wrestler: almost everyone has it under 100 kg, but wrestlers of the highest divisions, who bear the proud title of sekttori, must have a mass of more than 120 kg. Many people who are far from sumo will be surprised, but the percentage of fat in the mass of a sumo wrestler is the same as that of the average layman. Accordingly, the larger the sumo wrestler, the greater his muscle mass and weight. Sumo is a sport that does not recognize restrictions, so everyone can get carried away with it.

The nuances of lifestyle

The stereotype will be erroneous, according to which there are no tall and slender sumo wrestlers. Well-known in certain circles, the sumo wrestler Chiyonofuji was above average height. There are no dimensionless fighters. Still, a person weighing 200 kilograms or more is unlikely to be able to fight without shortness of breath and arrhythmia. The average weight of a sumo wrestler is far from the declared "ceiling", and "light" wrestlers have an advantage over heavyweights, as they are more mobile and technical. The fight is marked in history when the wrestler Mainoumi made a throw against the wrestler Konishiki, who was twice his weight. A very large sumo wrestler limits his arsenal of techniques, faces annoying troubles, such as excessive sweating and sluggishness. In amateur sumo, representatives in different weight categories do not converge in pairs, but there are divisions.

Contact martial arts involves two wrestlers on a professional or amateur basis. At the same time, professional sumo is a colorful competition with the participation of selected heavyweight wrestlers. There were no women among the fighters. Sports sumo can be equated with Greco-Roman wrestling, as wrestlers, divided by weight, enter the competition. By the way, the first sumo wrestlers were samurai or ronin, interested in an additional source of income. In the 17th century, 72 canonical sumo techniques were recorded, based on sacred rituals with divine symbols. Since since the time of the emergence of sumotori, they were a category of persons close to the emperor and therefore were kept on state support.

And the game is worth the candle

Indeed, is there any rational grain in being a sumo wrestler?

Is it worth gaining weight, trampling on the world to give up the opportunity to show off in a bikini on the beach? After all, sumo has long ceased to be an exclusively male sport, women are increasingly active in international competitions. Sumo has many rules: wrestlers of the same hei, siblings, cannot meet in a duel. Sumo wrestling is a fairly profitable business, so those who are interested in it can at least become quite rich. If you calculate on an average, then in a year a wrestler of the highest category, who is also called a yokozun, receives as much for wrestling and third-party earnings as a world-class football player. In Japan, doing sumo is doubly beneficial, since only professional fights are held here.

Coming out to fight

A respected wrestler cannot go to doha uncollected. Everything is taken into account to the smallest detail. Even sumo wrestlers have a special hairstyle. A photo of it from a close angle allows you to verify the functionality and beauty. This hairstyle is called takayama, it softens the blow to the crown, which is almost inevitable during falls. By the way, wrestlers are forbidden to drive a car. Moreover, violators will face a serious punishment, for example, disqualification, which equates to a significant loss in rank. Usually wrestlers go by taxi.

In addition, there are restrictions on the presence of foreigners in this sport. A wrestler is considered a foreigner not only by citizenship, but also by origin.

Russians in sumo

The fighting technique is close in spirit to our people, as it is rich in traditions and full of respect for the opponent. But still, it’s rather strange to watch how Russian girls, who are truly beautiful, choose this sport, which is still exotic for our mentality. It is worth immediately amending the understanding of many people of sumo wrestling: sumo wrestlers do not fight. Their struggle is noble, the goal of the duel is to push the opponent out of the doha border. The one who touches the ground with any part of the body except for the foot will lose. Svetlana Panteleeva absolutely does not meet the ideas of how much a sumo wrestler weighs. In Svetlana, 75 kilograms with a height of 170 centimeters, that is, the weight is normal. This is how the stereotypes that fat men go to sumo are crumbling. Svetlana came to the sport from choreography and judo. Sumo at first amused, and then dragged on, it was painfully hot emotions.

Svetlana is outside the rules and keeps herself in shape with proper nutrition: more protein to build muscle, not fat.

Tenderness in the fight

Who would have thought that the seven-time world champion in sumo could be a homely and cozy woman, a real keeper of the hearth. Exactly such Ekaterina Keib. She is still very young, but has achieved a lot, so she can afford a break in her career. Ekaterina managed to try herself in pedagogy and politics. There are many interests, but without sports, a passion for Japanese cuisine appeared. While she was actively involved in sports, Katya abstained from sushi, and now she eats with pleasure. Ekaterina is far from model forms, with a rather high growth of 180 centimeters, she weighs 138 kg. This is the normal average weight of a sumo wrestler, and even a little below the standard.
And the winner of the European Championships Olesya Kovalenko is even a little asthenic for sumo: she weighs only 118 kg with the same height. True, she believes that this is her combat form, in which she is both strong and mobile.

Success Through Perseverance

Anna Zhigalova performs in the absolute weight category, which is also outside the framework set by the average weight of a sumo wrestler.

With a height of 185 cm, Anna weighs 120 kg. As a child, she dreamed of being a ballerina, but she was large in size. He doesn’t sit on a special diet, except that the coach sometimes makes him gain weight. Anna does not adhere to the traditions of the founders of the wrestling, she eats right, although she has her own gastronomic preferences. In general, it is necessary to imagine a certain gradation of the weight of athletes: light weight is limited to 65 kg; the average weight is in the range from 65 to 80 kg; heavy weight category starts from 80 kg and above.

Japanese sumo wrestlers and their difference

The attitude towards fat people in the world is ambiguous, because sometimes they do not fit into the usual standards of beauty. In Japan, rich in traditions, the situation is somewhat simpler, since the beauty of a person, his inner content, the ability to combine harmony and sports development are paramount.

Therefore, they have people can afford to eat in accordance with the history of sports. People who are fully focused on wrestling, who know their daily routine in advance and practice sumo at a professional level, literally live off their working form. In Russia, everything is different, because a modern person cannot give up on himself and give up critical views in cafes or transport. Fat people are limited in the choice of clothes, in visiting public places. Who noticed a resting fat person in a nightclub? And who saw the dancer with magnificent forms? Our ladies do not want to get out of the cage, so their weight is too small for a professional sumo. Girls remain normal, live in a weight in which they are comfortable, so they are successful not only in their careers, but also in their personal lives.

Sumo (Jap. 相撲) is a type of martial arts in which two wrestlers reveal the strongest on a round platform. The birthplace of this sport is Japan. The Japanese consider sumo to be a martial art. The tradition of sumo has been going on since ancient times, so each fight is accompanied by numerous rituals.

Japan is the recognized center of sumo and the only country where professional competitions are held. In the rest of the world, only amateur sumo exists.

Modern professional sumo combines elements of sports, martial arts, shows, traditions and business.

Story

The first written mention of sumo is found in the Kojiki, a book dating from 712, which is the oldest existing source of Japanese writing. According to the legend given there, 2500 years ago the gods Takemikazuchi and Takeminakata fought in a sumo duel for the right to own the Japanese islands. According to legend, Takemikazuchi won the first fight. It is from this hero of antiquity that the emperor of Japan traces his genealogy.

Sumo is mentioned in ancient Japanese texts dating back to the 8th century under the name sumai. In addition to its primary purpose, sumo has been associated with the ritual of the Shinto religion. To this day, in some monasteries, one can see the ritual battle between man and god.

Sumo was an important ritual of the imperial court. Representatives of all provinces had to participate in the competition at the court. The role of sumo in combat training is also known: sumo training made it possible to develop the ability to stand firmly on one's feet in battle.

It is believed that the modern sumo ground - dohyo, appeared around the 16th century, however, the shape and size of the dohyo changed over time.

Sumo rules developed in the Heian era (794-1185). It was forbidden to grab each other by the hair, kick and hit each other in the head.

In parallel with the temple and court, there was also street, folk, square sumo, fights of strong men or just townspeople and peasants for their own amusement and amusement of the crowd. There were various sumo-like wrestling games in the merry neighborhoods, such as duels between women (often with obscene wrestling names), duels between women and the blind, comic wrestling, and the like. Street sumo was repeatedly banned, because street fights sometimes escalated into mass brawls and urban riots. Women's sumo was also subject to restrictions and practically disappeared by the beginning of the 20th century, only being preserved as a rare temple ritual and at an amateur level.

Basic information

Playground for wrestling

Fight (tori-kumi) between yokozuna Asashoryu and komusubi Kotosegiku (Japan, 2008).

The sumo wrestling ground is a square platform 34-60 cm high, called dohyo. Dohyo is made of a special grade of rammed clay and topped with a thin layer of sand. The duel takes place in a circle with a diameter of 4.55 m, the boundaries of which are laid with special wickerwork made of rice straw (the so-called "tavara"). In the center of the dohyo are two white stripes, indicating the starting positions of the wrestlers. The sand around the circle is carefully leveled with brooms before the start of each fight, so that it can be determined from the footprints in the sand whether one of the opponents has touched the ground outside the circle. On the sides of the dohyo, steps are made in clay in several places so that wrestlers and gyoji can climb it.

The site itself and the many objects surrounding it are full of Shinto symbols: the sand that covers the clay dohyo symbolizes purity; thrown salt symbolizes purification, the expulsion of evil spirits; the canopy over the dohyo (yakata) is made in the style of a roof in a Shinto shrine. The four tassels on each corner of the canopy represent the four seasons: white for autumn, black for winter, green for spring, red for summer. The purple flags around the roof represent the drifting clouds and the changing seasons. The referee (gyoji), among other duties, performs the role of a Shinto priest.

Sumo wrestlers at the ceremony of the general entrance to the dohyo ring around the gyoji judge. October 2005

Entrance to doha for women according to ancient tradition is prohibited.
Training dohyos are made in a similar way, but the circle is flush with the floor. They also undergo a purification ceremony.

In amateur sumo, a dohyo is simply a marked circle, not necessarily on a raised platform. The ban for women is not observed, there is also an amateur female sumo.

Clothes and hair

The only clothing worn by a wrestler during a duel is a special belt called "mawashi". This is a dense wide fabric tape, most often in dark shades. Mawashi is wrapped in several turns around the naked body and between the legs, the end of the belt is fixed behind the back with a knot. An unwound mawashi leads to the disqualification of the wrestler. High-level wrestlers have silk mawashi. Hanging ornaments are suspended from the belt - “sagari”, which do not perform any other function than purely decorative. The wrestlers of the two highest divisions have one more, special, kesho-mawashi belt (jap. 化粧回し, 化粧廻し kesho: mawashi?), outwardly resembling an apron decorated with sewing, each in its own way, which is used only during rituals. In amateur sumo, mawashi is sometimes worn over trunks or shorts.

Hair is collected in a special traditional bun at the crown, in the two highest divisions the hairstyle is much more complex. In addition to beauty, such a hairstyle has the ability to soften the blow to the crown, which is possible, for example, when falling head down.

Wrestlers' clothing and hairstyle are strictly regulated outside of the competition. The rules depend very much on the level of the wrestler. As a rule, the clothes and hairstyle prescribed for wrestlers in everyday life are very archaic. Hair styling requires a special art, almost forgotten outside of sumo and traditional theater.

Rules

In sumo, it is forbidden to hit other than with an open palm, as well as in the eyes and in the genital area. It is forbidden to grab the hair, ears, fingers and the part of the mawashi that covers the genitals. Choke holds are not allowed. Everything else is allowed, so the arsenal of wrestlers includes slaps, pushes, grabs for any permitted parts of the body and especially belts, as well as throws, various trips and sweeps. The duel begins with a simultaneous jerk of the wrestlers towards each other, followed by a collision (“tatiai”). It is considered good form, as well as a more successful tactic, to fight offensively. Tricks based on evasions (such as avoiding contact at the start of a duel, for example), while acceptable, are not considered pretty. Due to the wide variety of techniques, rarely anyone owns their full arsenal, so there are wrestlers who are more prone to either grabs and wrestling in the belt (for example, Kayo ozeki), or, on the contrary, to fight with pushes at a distance (for example, Tiyotaikai).

Two basic rules are used to determine the winner of each bout: the first person to touch the ground with any part of the body other than the feet is considered the loser. the first person to touch the ground outside the circle is the loser.

The judge on the dohyo (gyoji) immediately shows the winner by turning the fan in the direction from which the wrestler started the fight. The judge's decision can be challenged by the general council of four circular judges ("shimpan") and the chief judge ("shimpancho"), sitting around the dohyo and interfering with the actions of the gyoji, if, in their opinion, he overlooked or made a mistake. For trial, side judges may have access to a video replay.

The body is considered everything, up to the ends of the hair. In some cases, the judge declares the winner of the wrestler, the first to touch the ground. This happens when his opponent, even if he touched the ground second, had no chance of winning: he was thrown very effectively, or taken out of the circle, torn off the ground (the “dead body” principle). An attempt to carry out a forbidden technique, for example, grabbing hair, also leads to unconditional defeat.

Often the duel lasts only a few seconds, as one of the wrestlers is quickly forced out of the circle by the other, or knocked down by a throw or sweep. In rare cases, the duel can last several minutes. Particularly long bouts may be suspended so that wrestlers can take a breath or tighten up weakened belts. At the same time, the position and capture are clearly fixed by the gyoji, in order to accurately restore the relative position of the wrestlers on the doha after the timeout.

The life of a wrestler

In sumo rooms, students are accepted at the end of high school. In addition, sumo is replenished by amateurs, as a rule, after they graduate from the university, if they were able to prove themselves. Amateurs showing good results start performances immediately from the third division (makushita). The upper age limit is 23 for debutants and 25 for student sumo amateurs.

Having entered the heya, the wrestler takes on a special wrestling pseudonym, sikona, under which he performs. Sumo wrestlers are also called sumotori and rikishi.

The accessibility of a fighter to the blessings of life is determined by his success. The level reached by the wrestler depends on what clothes and shoes you can wear, whether you can use a mobile phone, the Internet, sleep in a common ward or your own room, etc. The same level determines the type and amount of household duties - so, they get up, clean and cook before everyone else I'm going junior fighters. They also serve the elders in the bath and for food. It is believed that such a way of life creates a serious incentive: if you want to improve your status and not do menial work, train better, perform stronger.

Weight of wrestlers

There are no weight categories in professional sumo, so one of the determining factors is the weight of the wrestler. Almost all rikishi, except for beginners or rare exceptions, like Takanoyama, weigh over 120 kg - otherwise you cannot count on success. Thus, the record heavyweight Konishiki (275 kg) held the title of ozeki for more than six years, and the overall Akebono (225 kg) and Musashimaru (235 kg) reached the status of yokozuna. On the other hand, excessive weight does not guarantee success, as it harms mobility, increases the risk of injury and narrows the arsenal of techniques. Examples of this are Yamamotoyama, who was unable to gain a foothold in makuuchi, or Orora, moving between sandamme and makushita. Athletic "lightweights" (eg, yokozuna Chiyonofuji, yokozuna Harumafuji) can have an advantage over bulky "heavyweights" due to greater mobility and sophisticated technique. So, in January 1996, in the first makuuchi division, Mainoumi defeated Konishiki with an almost threefold difference in weight (98kg vs. 273), and in January 2012, in the fourth division, Ohara sandamme defeated the heaviest sumotori Ororu with almost four times (75kg vs. 273).

In amateur sumo, a system of weight categories can be established.

Injuries and loss of health in sumo

Since sumo is a contact wrestling of heavyweights with collisions, throws and falls, injuries to the fingers, joints, spine, muscles, and eyebrows are common in sumo. In oncoming collisions, concussion and loss of coordination are possible, as with a knockdown and a knockout in boxing. The danger of injury is all the more great because the fight is carried out on an elevation of about half a meter, and a poorly controlled fall from it after the reception is quite common. It's normal to get injured in training. Due to the large size and weight, household injuries can also be dangerous. Since there are 6 tournaments a year in professional wrestling, and, moreover, a series of exhibition performances are held between them, wrestlers often fail to fully recover. Missing a fight on basho for any reason is regarded as a defeat, skipping a tournament (of course, except for demonstration ones, where the result does not affect the rating) - as a defeat in all his fights, and this keeps the wrestlers from prolonged treatment. Therefore, wrestlers with an ankle wrapped in an elastic bandage, knees, elbows, plasters on their fingers, a wide plaster on their shoulders, and back are a common sight. There are health problems caused by obviously overweight (but necessary for the struggle) gained weight: chronic diseases of the spine, knees, ankle, hypertension, metabolic disorders.

During the duel, not only wrestlers can suffer, but, by chance, gyoji or spectators from the front rows, if someone unsuccessfully falls on them. There are cases when other wrestlers who were preparing for the next fight near the doha were so injured.

Unsportsmanlike circumstances are also highly detrimental to health, such as the frequent need to drink alcohol at numerous meetings with sponsors, hae support clubs, holidays after the tournament, and other similar gatherings.

Organization

Tournaments and fights

Official tournaments of professionals (basho) are held 6 times a year, in Tokyo (January, May, September) and once in Osaka (March), Nagoya (July) and Fukuoka (November). Basho usually begins on the second Sunday of an odd month and lasts 15 days. Between tournaments, wrestlers participate in various kinds of visiting and charity demonstration tournaments.

Wrestlers of the senior leagues (makuuchi, dzyure) have 15 fights for basho, others - 7. Pairs are determined the day before, two days in advance. Because the number of bouts a wrestler has in a tournament is much less than the number of wrestlers in his league ("kaku"), bouts cannot be round-robins. In a typical case, a wrestler meets with colleagues of about the same level.

In a duel (except in special cases, such as super finals with equal results on the last day, “kettei-sen”), wrestlers of the same heya cannot meet, and also, although this is not explicitly stated, brothers, even if they ended up in different heya . In minor leagues, this requirement may also apply to itimons. For this reason, very strong hae wrestlers who are not at the top of the league have an advantage: the number of strong opponents is reduced for them.

In amateur sumo, their own, different from those listed above, rules for holding competitions are established.

Prizes and awards

For sekitori (makuuchi and dzyure fighters), the following monthly payments are set:

Yokozuna - 2,107,000 yen;

Ozeki - 1,753,000 yen;

Sekivake - 1,264,000 yen;

Komusubi - 1,090,000 yen;

Maegashira - 977,000 yen;

Jyryeo - 773,000 yen.

Wrestlers below jure do not receive monthly payments, but for each tournament they receive basho (basho):

Makushita - 120,000 yen;

Sandamme - 85,000 yen;

Jonidan - 75,000 yen;

Jonokuchi - 70,000 yen.

There are other benefits and benefits, in particular:

25,000 yen - all sekitori after each tournament in Tokyo;

150,000 yen - each yokozuna in front of the Tokyo Basho to cover the cost of making a new tsuna (tsuna) worn by the yokozuna on the dohyo-iri.

After each tournament, the sanyaku receives:

Yokozuna - 200,000 yen;

Ozeki - 150,000 yen;

Sekivake - 50,000 yen;

Komusubi - 50,000 yen.

Tournament winner gets:

Makuuchi - 10,000,000 yen;

Jyryeo - 2,000,000 yen;

Makushita - 500,000 yen;

Sandamme - 300,000 yen;

Jonidan - 200,000 yen;

Jonokuchi - 100,000 yen.

There are also three special awards of 2,000,000 yen each awarded on the basis of the basho.

In addition to the payments listed above, there is a special cumulative bonus system in professional sumo. For almost every achievement, large or small, starting from the very debut, sumotori receives a certain amount of bonus points. For sekitori, the accumulated points turn into periodic cash payments. Minor league wrestlers accumulate points, but do not receive such payments. The list of achievements for which bonus points are awarded is long, in particular, they are awarded for:

every win if a katikosi is shown in the tournament;

rise to the next league, for each league - in its own way;

league win (kaku);

ascent to sanyaku, ozeki, yokozuna;

special prizes;

kimboshi - the victory of maegashira over yokozuna.

Thus, long-term ozeki payouts can easily exceed $50,000.

The calculation of a particular rikishi's monthly income, due to its complexity and bonus savings system, is not transparent to outsiders. In general, a yokozuna's annual income, including third-party earnings (such as advertising), is roughly equivalent to that of a world-class footballer.

Leagues and ranks in sumo

Makuuchi major league ranks, from highest to lowest:

Senior sanyaku: yokozuna, ozeki

Junior sanyaku: sekivake, komusubi

Hiramaku: maegashira, no. 1 east, no. 1 west, no. 2 east onwards.

There are six leagues in professional sumo, from junior to senior: jonokuchi, jonidan, sandamme, makushita, jyryo and makuuchi. The last two are truly professional, all the others are considered student. There is also an “input” league of maezumo, in which all newcomers learn together the basics of wrestling, related arts and history of sumo.

Wrestlers of all ranks of makuuchi and dzyuryo are called sekitori (sekitori), wrestlers of the lower leagues are called deshi (deshi). Juryo - "ju" - ten, "ryo" - an ancient coin. Ten ryo represented sumotori earnings. Makushita - "maku-shita" - below "maku". Sandamme - "third rank". Jonidan - "second from the beginning." Jonokuchi - "introduction to the beginning" ("kuchi" - mouth).

Modern organization of professional sumo in Japan

Contractual fights in sumo

Until very recently, the existence of paid contractual bouts or gratuitous "mutual assistance" of wrestlers has not been proven. The topic was loved by the “yellow press”, suspicions were most often based on the fact that wrestlers perform noticeably better if the fight means a lot to them (for example, with a score of 7-7). On the other hand, such a phenomenon could be explained by the high motivation of the wrestler. At the end of January 2011, a scandal erupted when the police, studying (for a completely different reason) SMS on the phones of some wrestlers, found messages that unambiguously testify to fixed fights for money. The amounts were in the thousands of dollars. The scandal that broke out led to exceptional consequences, for example, the March spring tournament in Osaka (Haru basho) in 2011 and all exhibition performances (jungyo) in 2011 were canceled. This indicates colossal problems - tournaments are rarely canceled, the last time a regular tournament was canceled in 1946 due to the post-war difficulties of a devastated country. Throughout the previous war, even after the atomic bombings, tournaments were not canceled.

Kinds

University sumo

amateur sumo

In 1980, the Japan Sumo Federation held the First All Japan Amateur Championship, which invited teams from abroad to increase competition. As a result, the first international amateur sumo tournament took place. Since then, the number of foreign teams participating in this event has increased every year, and in July 1983, Japan and Brazil created an organization that became the forerunner of the modern International Sumo Federation (IFS). In 1985, due to the increase in the number of participating teams, the name of the tournament changed to the International Sumo Championship. In 1989, the 10th anniversary championship was held in Sao Paulo. On December 10, 1992, to commemorate the creation of the IFS, the name of the championship changed again.

Professional sumo

The first World Sumo Championship, held under the auspices of the IFS, brought together a total of 73 participants from 25 different countries. The tournament has become an annual event, and the number of participating countries continues to grow. The World Championship is held in individual and team events. Athletes are divided into four weight categories: light, medium, heavy weight and absolute weight category.

In 1995, five continental federations of amateur sumo were created, which hold qualifying tournaments for the right to participate in the world championship. IFS currently has 84 member countries. In 1997, the first World Women's Sumo Championship was held. The Federation actively promotes women's sumo.

Foreigners in sumo

Although sumo has long been played by assimilated Koreans, the real starting point of the internationalization process should be considered 1964, when the American sumotori Takamiyama, known worldwide as Jesse Kuhaulua, appeared on Doha. The Hawaiian-born wrestler became the first foreigner to win the Imperial Cup. He reached the level of sekiwake, which is a sign of a quite successful career, and was very popular. He also became the first foreigner to lead the hei. Following him and under his influence, such prominent wrestlers as Konishiki, Akebono (the best student of Takamiyama) and Musashimaru appeared in sumo. Many foreign wrestlers, in particular the Chinese, Americans, Brazilians, Argentines and even Senegalese, did not do well and went unnoticed. Since the end of the 20th - the beginning of the 21st century, the influx of fighters from Mongolia, as well as from the Caucasus, has been most noticeable. The first ozeki of European origin and the first European to win the Imperial Cup, Kotoosyu Katsunori is a Bulgarian professional sumo wrestler with the rank of ozeki.

Restrictions on the number of foreigners are constantly tightened. The introduced total quota (40 people) was later changed to a requirement of one person per heya. In February 2010, the Board of Directors of the Association further tightened the conditions for the admission of foreigners: a wrestler is considered a foreigner not by citizenship, but by origin. This finally closes the loophole for the oyakata, who previously resorted to tricks - gathering entire fraternities according to a common quota (like the Ooshima school) or transferring fighters to Japanese citizenship. The new restriction came into effect at the end of the traditional spring 2010 intake. In part, the access of foreigners is limited by the age limit of the debutant, 23 years. Since a foreigner enters wrestling on a general basis, non-Japanese amateurs who have proven themselves very often run the risk of not being on time or getting "on the last step of the last carriage." In practice, the quota leads to incidents, for example, brothers who intended to train together - Roho and Hakurozan - get into different heyas. There are heya who basically do not accept foreigners, there are heya who are hotbeds of foreigners, for example, Ooshima and Tatsunami, actively attracting Mongols. Quotas do not save from the dominance of foreigners in the higher leagues, so, in November 2010, there were 20 wrestlers of foreign origin in the makuuchi major league (out of 45 positions), of which 7 were in sanyaku (ranks of komusubi and higher) (out of 9 positions), including three of the four ōzeki and the only yokozuna. As of January 2013, the Japanese wrestler last won the Imperial Cup in 2006, entered the doha with the rank of yokozuna in 2003.

The restrictions are justified, since it is commonly believed that sumo is not only and not only a sport, and the influx of foreigners, with alien manners and outlook on things, is capable of violating the purely Japanese spirit inherent in sumo. This, as a result, will allegedly reduce interest in sumo in Japan and, ultimately (although it is not customary to talk about it openly), the income of the Association. On the other hand, it was foreigners, such as Musashimaru and Akebono, and then Asashoryu, who repeatedly fueled interest in sumo, both in Japan and in the world.

A foreigner does not have the rights of a fighter in full. Thus, foreign yokozuna and ozeki, unlike their Japanese counterparts, do not have voting rights in the Association. Without transferring to Japanese citizenship, a foreigner cannot, after resignation, remain a coach.

Recently, foreigners have been involved in a number of scandals that have led to their disqualification: Kyokutenho was suspended for a tournament for driving a car, Asashoryu - for two tournaments for playing football in public, despite the fact that he did not participate in official demonstrations, as injured, and three Russian wrestlers - Wakanoho, Rojo, Hakurozan - for life, after the scandal associated with their alleged use (and Wakanoho - also proven possession) of marijuana. The latter case had a great resonance and led to the resignation of the President of the Association, Oyakata Kitanoumi.

Sumo in Russia

The father of the yokozuna, winner of 32 bases (unsurpassed result) Taiho Koki was a Ukrainian emigrant Markian Boryshko. Taiho was born in 1940 in South Sakhalin (at that time owned by Japan) in Poronaysk (Shikuka) in a mixed family. The boy was named Ivan. After the end of World War II, Koki and his Japanese mother moved to the island of Hokkaido, and his father was arrested by the Soviet authorities. Taiho was not considered a foreigner, as he was born on Japanese soil and was quite Japanese in upbringing. In 1965, the Japanese Sumo Association, in honor of the anniversary of the restoration of Japanese-Soviet diplomatic relations, chose the USSR for the first foreign sumo festival. Wrestlers performed demonstration performances in Khabarovsk and Moscow. Yokozuna Taiho was part of the delegation, but was unable to see his father, who had died five years earlier in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. After the end of his career, Taiho tried to establish friendly relations between Japan and the countries of the former USSR. He founded a sumo association in Kharkov, the city where his father was a native. A stroke prevented the Taiho from visiting the city in person.

In 2002, Taiho invited the Boradzov brothers from North Ossetia - Soslan (Roho Yukio) and Batraz (Hakurozan) to Japan to participate in sumo fights. Both brothers won the right to compete in the first elite division - makuuchi, but in September 2008 they were disqualified with a scandal after another Russian wrestler - Wakanoho.

Other Russians also participate in professional sumo in Japan: Alan Gabaraev (Aran, in 2007-2013, the highest rank is sekivake), Nikolai Ivanov (Amuru, since 2002, the highest rank is jure-3), Anatoly Mikhakhanov (Orora, since 2000, the highest rank is makushita-43).

In addition, several more wrestlers from the countries of the former republics of the USSR take part in sumo: Georgians Levani Gorgadze (Tochinosin, since 2006, the highest rank is komusubi), Teimuraz Dzhugeli (Gagamaru, since 2005, the highest rank is komusubi), Merab Levan Tsaguria ( Kokkay, in 2001-2012, the highest rank - komusubi), Merab Georg Tsaguria (Tsukasaumi, in 2005-2006, the highest rank - sandamme-18); Estonians Kaido Hevelson (Baruto, in 2004-2013, the highest rank is ozeki), Ott Yurikas (Kitaoji, in 2004, the highest rank is junidan-114); Kazakh Suyunysh Hudibaev (Kazafudzan, since 2003, highest rank - makushita-10).

Sometimes in the houses where sumo wrestlers train, and at some tournaments, you can hear Russian speech. Currently, two yokozuna and one of the four ozeki (champions) are Mongols, one ozeki is Bulgarian. According to the Japanese press (Asahi Newspaper, 29/09/2006), they often use Russian to communicate with each other. The Boradzov brothers were guests at a Russian language class broadcast by NHK in 2005.

In some countries close to Japan, such as Mongolia and Korea, types of wrestling similar to sumo are common. However, the Mongolian wrestling Bukh has one significant difference: it is not held in the ring, but in an open field, without designated boundaries.

According to one version, until the 16th century, the dohyo analogue was located on a hill, and there were sharp stakes outside it. Historical evidence supports the existence of this type of "sport", but it has not been clarified whether it is related to sumo.

According to December 2013 studies of 70 wrestlers in the top two divisions, body fat is between 23% and 39%. For comparison, in Japanese adults, this figure is 15-19%. The "fattest" was Aoyama, and one of the "drier" - yokozuna Harumafudzi.

Wrestlers of any level are prohibited from driving a car on their own. Those who violate this rule will be punished, for example, Kyokutenho, who was caught in 2007, was disqualified for one tournament, which meant a significant loss in rank. Usually, wrestlers go by taxi or they are transported by special minibuses.

Article: Sumo: giants in diapers

Sumo- the oldest Japanese martial art that has survived to this day. It has long ceased to have applied significance and is not a martial art in the full sense of the term. But art, and extraordinarily popular, remains.

Sumo has over two thousand years of history. According to legend, ordinary wrestling was its prototype, but then, in those far from humane times, someone came up with the idea to create a fundamentally new type of wrestling, in which life would be the stake. And around the platform on which the wrestlers competed, they began to stick pointed bamboo stakes, piercing the vanquished - he was considered the one who was pushed off the platform - through and through. Even then, people guessed that the greater the mass of a person, the more blood in him, and for fights they began to select exclusively heavyweights. The bright red fountains escaping from the bodies writhing in agony pleased the eyes of high-ranking spectators, for whose delight the bloody spectacle was intended, and they even ordered that the wrestlers be specially fattened with the best dishes in order to maximize their weight.

Several centuries later, the rules and conditions of the competition have become softer, but the traditions have been preserved, and someone who weighs less than 100 kg is simply not suitable for Sumo.

The lightest Sumo wrestler weighs 120 kg, the heaviest is more than 240. Moreover, most wrestlers strive in every possible way to improve their performance - they drink 10 liters of liquid daily and absorb fat, rich chancola stew in incredible quantities. And because of the huge weight they seem slow and clumsy. But this is not so - they have excellent reaction and excellent speed, and the weight is distributed in such a way that the center of gravity is as low as possible and it is difficult for the wrestler to be pushed off the spot.

But recently, a new type of wrestlers have begun to appear, not striving for weight gain and including a large number of vegetables in their diet. A prominent representative of the new trend was one of the greatest masters of our time, Chonofuji, nicknamed "Wolf" because of his squint. With a weight of 120 kg, there is not a drop of fat in him, but his strength was such that he could easily deal with two heavyweights, each weighing twice his size, at the same time. He proved that although weight plays a huge role in Sumo, technique is still more important. But there are few like him, and the vast majority of wrestlers willingly get fat. With such a lifestyle, they live to a maximum of fifty, and the media are well aware of this, but, apparently, they believe that art requires sacrifice ...

Sumo is undoubtedly the most popular sport in Japan. It has everything that is needed for sports - speed, intensity, simplicity of rules, lack of complex equipment and violence. Moreover, Sumo is a sport of gentlemen, where, among other things, the winner helps the loser to his feet. And although Sumo may seem rather strange to a European at first glance, the Japanese are delighted with it. Tens of thousands of tickets for the tournament are sold out with lightning speed, and television devotes more time to it than to the life of the imperial family.

The fight is carried out as follows. Two white lines are drawn on the platform in the center of a circle with a diameter of about 4.5 m, on which wrestlers squat before the start of the fight. At the same time, they stare at each other with a heavy look, trying to win the duel psychologically - and often this battle of views lasts longer than the fight itself. Then, according to ancient tradition, they begin to scatter handfuls of salt around them, thereby symbolically purifying the earth and air (Sumo is generally full of symbols that have remained unchanged for more than two thousand years in a rare case).

After the gong is struck, the wrestlers must jump to their feet within two seconds and enter the bout within one more minute. The rules are quite simple: the one who makes the opponent retreat beyond his line or touch the floor with any part of the floor, except for the foot, with the help of 70 different wrestling techniques, wins - strikes are prohibited (different sources contain a different number of techniques - 48, 70, 200, more than 200 , but the most common number is 70).

The world of Sumo - conservative, elitist, closed - is rightly called the stronghold of Japanese feudalism. Strict observance of customs, unquestioning obedience to elders are its distinguishing features. Considered the moral ideal of society, the embodiment of purity and truthfulness, a Sumo wrestler cannot appear in public in an old kimono and with unoiled and untied hair. The only woman he sees for many years is the wife of the owner of the team.

Violators are dealt with quickly and brutally. So, the “great master” - “yokosuna” Wajima was deprived of his title (over the past 350 years, a little more than 60 people have been awarded this title). Hiroshi Wajima violated Sumo's laws, according to which one must perform under a pseudonym, live modestly and stay in Buddhist monasteries during the tour. Even in his youth, Wajima showed free-thinking, wearing a haircut like the Beatles, and being a “great master”, he performed under his own name, went on tour in a luxury car and preferred luxury hotels to modest monasteries, and in addition, he pledged his share in the Sumo Association to a person, having nothing to do with her.

For his duties, Wajima was thrown out into the street without any pity or indulgence and, becoming unemployed, was forced to go into catch and become a student again, just like many years ago. There is no doubt that this served as a good lesson for others - retiring at the age of 30-35, Sumo wrestlers who have reached significant heights during their careers live more than comfortably, as the Association pays them a considerable amount, and besides, they earn quite well over time speeches.

Sumo wrestlers in Japan are considered national heroes. But being a Sumo wrestler is a very, very difficult thing. Both mentally and physically. Wrestlers live (with the exception of the "great masters") in such Spartan conditions that even the Spartans would not have endured. Beginners (tsukebito) get up at four o'clock in the morning for their first practice, which takes place on an earthen floor in a room open to winter cold with snow and suffocating summer heat. Their only attire is a piece of fabric ten meters long, which is folded in half and tied around the stomach like a giant diaper. In the same form, the wrestlers enter the platform. After the first training, beginners serve their senior colleagues - they rub their backs in the bath, which every wrestler must take before the fight, smear their hair with oil and help them style, perform all kinds of assignments.

Nevertheless, Japanese youth are ready to doom their lives to severe hardships, as Sumo wrestlers attract them not only with wealth, but also with authority in society. However, there is something to envy here - acquaintance with them is considered an honor by the powers that be, and, for example, at the wedding of Wajima (Sumo wrestlers, as a rule, marry late, having already become great masters and retired, that is, when they are already over 30, and are obliged to marry the daughter of one or another great master) there were 2500 guests, the official intermediary between him and the bride was the deputy minister of foreign affairs, who later became a minister, among the guests was the former prime minister of the country and other important people.

Sumo is spoken of as a national Japanese sport, but over the past 20 years, many foreigners have appeared in the ranks of Sumo wrestlers. The first foreigner, the winner of the tournament in the fall of 1989, was a 25-year-old US citizen, a native of Hawaii, a 230-pound wrestler Alisane, performing under the name Konishiki. It is interesting that among the prizes, in addition to monetary rewards and a personal message from President Bush Sr., were 1.8 tons of rice and 5,000 eels. Well, for the giant, the prize is the most worthy...

Participants of one of the oldest types of Japanese martial arts - sumoits are of considerable interest due to their unusually large dimensions. What is the average weight of a sumo wrestler and what methods are used to maintain it?

Average weight of sumo wrestlers

On the first rung of the wrestling career ladder, sumo wrestlers start at 100 kg. Over time, they increase their mass to 200 kg. On average, the weight of a sumo wrestler is about 150-200 kg.

Such a mass is necessary for the wrestlers in order to quickly and easily displace their rivals on the court beyond the inner circle of the platform. You can win by using one of two methods:

pushing the enemy's torso beyond the boundaries of a square platform of rammed clay - doha;
forcing the opponent to touch the floor with any part of the body, be it the tip of the finger or the knee.

Leading an offensive fight, a heavyweight can only hit the opponent with an open palm, use slaps, use pushes. All kinds of grabs, throws and trips are prohibited. A duel can last only a few seconds, in rare cases up to five minutes.

It is noteworthy that, as such, there are no weight categories in professional sumo, so rivals with a difference in weight of about 70-100 kg can meet in the ring.

The fact that it is weight that plays a key role in achieving the goal is confirmed by title holders who have repeatedly won rikishi competitions. Konishiki, a well-known heavyweight record holder with a body weight of 280 kg, has held the ozeki title for many years.

The main advantage of lightweights weighing up to 200 kg is resourcefulness and mobility. On the court, they are able to use sophisticated techniques that are beyond the power of the "titans". A good example of this is the successful career of lightweight Chienofuji, who managed to win the title of ecozuna, and Harumafuji, who repeatedly received the title of ozeki.

The title of the fattest sumo wrestler is Emanuel Yabrauch. The famous Japanese heavyweight wrestler has a mass of 400 kg. Not surprisingly, the "titan" is a seven-time world champion.

How sumo wrestlers gain weight

The common belief that sumoits only eat high-calorie foods in order to achieve the goal of gaining a "hundred or two" is erroneous. A special "diet" is not a guarantee of successful entry into the ranks of wrestlers. The bulk of the body is not “excess fat”, but muscle tissue. If a novice sumo wrestler entering heya has a fat “reserve”, he will first have to lose it in order to gain “working” weight from fat and muscle mass. Subsequently, the formation of the body will occur due to the increase in muscles in the process of training and increasing weight.

For weight gain, the daily calorie content of the diet is about 8000 kcal. To develop the necessary muscle mass, wrestlers exhaust themselves daily with intensive training, which they spend in the wee hours on an empty stomach. After that, they eat tightly and go on a daytime rest, where they spend 2-3 hours in a state of half-asleep. Thus, the calories eaten are stored in the form of body fat. It is noteworthy that there are no prohibitions regarding alcohol in the diet of sumo wrestlers. Its use is considered absolutely normal.

After the afternoon siesta, the wrestlers go back to training. The working day ends with a hearty dinner containing high-calorie foods.

When determining how much a sumo wrestler weighs, they are guided by the body mass index. This parameter is 2.5 times higher than that of an ordinary average person. For clarity, we cite the fact that the volume of the triceps and biceps of a sumo wrestler is approximately equal to the volume of the legs of an “ordinary” person.

Sumo wrestling is one of the oldest martial arts that originated in Japan. The story begins from the second decade of the seven hundredth years - it is in the documents of that time that the mention of sumo first appears.

Then this type of struggle was a special, extremely significant court ritual. Representatives of absolutely every province were required to participate in the competition.

Simultaneously with sumo “for noble persons”, another version of this wrestling appeared - for ordinary people. But this subspecies bears little resemblance to the original. The "common" sumo often had an entertainment character and was more of a folk amusement than a real martial art.

Sumo as a martial art has come a long way from antiquity to the present. Honoring their traditions, the Japanese have preserved to this day many rituals that accompany all fights. In addition to the fight itself, there is something to see here. Today, sumo wrestling is not just a traditional Japanese sport, but also a means of generating a solid income.

For all its simplicity, sumo is a very spectacular and spectacular sport. This is a rather peculiar martial art in which the main thing is a wrestler's weapon is his weight. To defeat the enemy, sumo wrestlers, with the help of their mass and a variety of techniques, must:

or push one another out of the boundaries of the area where the duel takes place;
or force the opponent to touch the floor (what part of the body does not matter).

Therefore, sumo wrestlers have more than well-fed forms.

How much does a wrestler weigh

Sumo wrestlers are famous for their weight. There are no weight categories in professional sumo, however mass is one of the main advantages. Already on the first rung of the career ladder, a beginner sumo wrestler must weigh at least one hundred and ten kilograms.

Only wrestlers who have “passed over” a centner have a chance for a successful career as a sumo wrestler. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but this happens extremely rarely.

The fact that weight is the best way to advance a career in sumo is actively confirmed by multiple winners of the competition. famous sumo wrestler Konishiki- the heavyweight record holder, weighing almost two hundred and eighty kilograms, managed to keep ozeki title, in other words - champion.

However, in addition to heavyweights, the so-called "lightweights" - sumo wrestlers, whose weight does not exceed two hundred kilograms, can also have considerable success. The wrestler Harumafuji also received the title of ozeki, and Chienofuji the title of yokozuna. Lightweights have an advantage over heavyweights in that they are more agile and agile. They can do more sophisticated tricks.

Of course, the “light” weight of sumo wrestlers (up to two hundred kilograms) is not light by the standards of normal people. No matter how bright the prospects are, we should not forget that a large mass is not a 100% guarantee of success. But it is an absolute guarantee of health problems. We can say that there are no healthy people among sumo wrestlers. A lot of weight has a negative effect on the internal organs of the sumo wrestler and his mobility.

At the same time, it is important for health that, like in any contact sport, there is a high probability of serious injury in sumo. Moreover, in this fight, this is aggravated by the fact that the internal organs of the wrestler are weakened by the way of life, and the opponent has a lot of weight.

In general, we can say that the average weight of a sumo wrestler ranges from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and twenty kilograms. But, as noted above, there are no weight categories in professional sumo, so the average weight of a sumo wrestler is a relative indicator. For the same reason, the absence of certain weight categories, the maximum weight of a wrestler is not limited in any way - who eats how much.

Many believe that in order to get into the ranks of sumo wrestlers, a novice wrestler only needs to reach a certain body weight. But this opinion is wrong. Just eating a hundred or even a couple of hundred kilograms of weight is not enough to become a real sumo wrestler.

The initial selection for sumo wrestlers is not based on weight. The “working” weight of a sumo wrestler is not only fat, but also muscles. If a novice wrestler has already “swallowed fat”, he will first have to lose weight. Only after that, the sumo wrestler begins to gain "working" mass.

Mode and nutrition

To gain weight, sumo wrestlers need to follow a certain daily routine and eat according to a special diet.

The wrestlers wake up as soon as the first rays of the sun appear. Immediately after washing, sumo wrestlers need to start training, which lasts more than one hour. A wrestler must train by giving himself to the process completely and completely.

After training, wrestlers take hot bath. Then follows the meal according to the diet. The essence of the sumo diet is the complete absence of a diet.. There are no restrictions in nutrition, on the contrary, the more high-calorie foods, the better. There are no prohibitions for alcohol - the use of alcohol by these athletes is considered absolutely normal.

Food for sumo wrestlers is expensive. But in Japan they would have paid more. Sumo has never been just a sport for the Japanese.

Following the meal comes sleep phase- the wrestlers should get some sleep, after which they will go to the next training session. After classes, sumo wrestlers start a hearty, hearty dinner that completes the daily routine. After dinner, the wrestlers go to bed, and in the morning everything will start all over again for them - training, food, sleep, and so on.

The fattest sumo wrestler

The title of the fattest sumo wrestler in the world rightfully belongs to Emanuel Yabrauch. The great illustrious wrestler weighs four hundred kilograms! During his career, this sumo wrestler managed to become a seven-time world champion. Such a number of victories is quite understandable - the thicker the fat layers of a sumo wrestler, the easier it is for him to win, since the enemy simply will not be able to grab him.

Yabrauch himself has repeatedly stated that he owes his weight gain to the well-known fast food chain McDonald's. It was the high-calorie foods from McDonald's that turned Yabraukh into a fat man in the blink of an eye, which inexpressibly contributed to his career.

Japanese traditional food - rice, seafood and beer - never gave such results in terms of weight gain as American fast food. Therefore, for sumo wrestlers, the United States is heaven on earth. A few habitually unlimited meals at McDonald's are enough, and the future sumo champion is ready!

Few people like fat people. Today, when more and more people take the side of a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle in general, being overweight symbolizes bad taste. But not in Japan. In this country, the problem of excess weight is treated differently.

Japanese women are of the opinion that a man of huge dimensions has incomparably greater advantages than athletes. The bigger the man, the more reliable, more gentle and more generous he is.

Sumo wrestlers for miniature Japanese women are a real fetish. All sumo wrestlers, without exception, have great success and considerable popularity among the opposite sex. Graceful and fragile Japanese women find in them powerful defenders and support.

According to the study, at least a quarter of the readers of the thematic publication "The World of Sumo" are representatives of the fair sex. So we can safely say that sumo wrestlers for natives of Japan are real sex symbols. And this is expressed not only in the form of reading a magazine.

The once incredibly popular Japanese ex-model named Sumuko married Kinishiki, a sumo wrestler weighing almost three hundred kilograms. Of course, this is not the only example of such a marriage.

Many believe that the love of Japanese women for sumo wrestlers is not influenced at all by their sympathy for such men, but only by the material side. But whether it is true or not, only the Japanese women themselves can answer.

As a summary, it is worth once again briefly answering the question: how much does a sumo wrestler weigh:

minimum weight: 100-110 kilograms;
average weight: 150-200 kilograms;
maximum weight: unlimited.

And in conclusion, some interesting facts about sumo wrestlers:

if you compare a normal person and a sumo wrestler in terms of body mass index, the latter will have an indicator two and a half times higher;
the biceps and triceps of some successful and famous sumo wrestlers are equal in volume to the leg circumference of a normal person;
in terms of weight, the wrestler is comparable to the European brown bear. If you place a sumo wrestler weighing two hundred kilograms and a brown bear on the scales, the scales will remain in balance.

Sumo wrestlers, who have a huge weight, are not only very popular, but also enjoy various privileges. For example, they can have long hair - this great honor was bestowed on them by the emperor himself. Among ordinary citizens of Japan, wearing long hair is strictly prohibited.

Few people know that the life of a sumo wrestler does not have a drop of romance. She is not only mundane and strict, but also boring. The person who decides to practice sumo must give up a large amount of earthly goods. The wrestler's personal life is constantly under the control of the Sumo Association and his coach.

How could such a miracle as Sumo appear in Japan, a country of refined traditions, with one of the most “correct” nutrition systems in the world? Sumo - a type of martial arts in which two wrestlers reveal the strongest on a round platform. The tradition of sumo has been going on since ancient times, so each fight is accompanied by numerous rituals. Despite the fact that several other countries claim to be the inventors of Sumo wrestling, Japan is the recognized center of sumo and the only country where professional competitions are held. In the rest of the world, only amateur sumo exists. Modern professional sumo combines elements of sports, martial arts, shows, traditions and business.

It is believed that the modern sumo ground - dohyo, appeared around the 16th century, however, the shape and size of the dohyo changed over time. Dohyo is made of rammed clay and topped with a thin layer of sand. The duel takes place in a circle with a diameter of 4.55 m, the boundaries of which are laid with special wickerwork made of rice straw (the so-called "tavara"). In the center of the dohyo are two white stripes, indicating the starting positions of the wrestlers. The sand around the circle is carefully leveled with brooms before the start of each fight, so that it can be determined from the footprints in the sand whether one of the opponents has touched the ground outside the circle.

Two basic rules are used to determine the winner of each bout: the first person to touch the ground with any part of the body other than the feet is considered the loser; the first person to touch the ground outside the circle is the loser.

There are no weight categories in professional sumo, so one of the determining factors is the weight of the wrestler. Almost all athletes, except for beginners, weigh under 100 kg or more, and for the highest divisions, weight above 120 kg is de facto mandatory - otherwise you cannot count on success.
On the other hand, weights over 200 kg are rare. Technical "lightweights" can have an advantage over "heavyweights" due to greater mobility and sophisticated technique. A winning technique is known with more than a twofold difference in weight. On the contrary, excessive weight does not guarantee success, as it harms mobility, increases the risk of injury and narrows the arsenal of techniques.

The formation of the wrestler's body occurs exclusively in the process of training due to muscle growth and weight gain. The daily routine itself is dedicated to this goal. Getting up with the first rays of the sun, morning toilet, then an exhausting five-hour workout begins on an empty stomach, requiring full dedication of strength and maximum concentration.

Sumo wrestling day starts with 4-6 hours of intensive training on an empty stomach. Theoretically, more physical activity should lead to a faster metabolism and weight loss, but ... Intense exercise on an empty stomach inevitably leads to a decrease in metabolic rate in the long term. Our subconscious autopilot is triggered - a smart organism is trying to save more fuel for the future.
It's important to know! A categorical ban on breakfast leads to mandatory overeating at the next meal and lowers the metabolic rate.

After training, wrestlers take a hot bath and always eat heavily, usually without restrictions, and also do not deny themselves alcohol. After eating - a three-hour sleep, then a short workout and a light dinner. Sumo wrestlers also use beer and sake in large quantities with meals to effectively gain weight. As you know, alcohol contains a lot of "empty" calories that do not carry any nutritional value to the body, that is, they are not used as an energy supplier. In other words, all the calories gained from drinking alcohol go straight to fat storage.

Interesting Facts.
* Wrestlers of any level are prohibited from driving a car on their own. Those who violate this rule will be punished, for example, Kyokutenho, who was caught in 2007, was disqualified for one tournament, which meant a significant loss in rank. Usually, wrestlers go by taxi or they are transported by special minibuses.
* The heaviest Sumo wrestler lives in America and, with a height of 2 meters 3 centimeters, has a weight of 313 kilograms !!!
What do you think, does all this fuss with a special weight gain affect the life expectancy and health of sumo wrestlers? Undoubtedly!!!
If the average life expectancy of the Japanese is 82 years, then Sumo wrestlers live 60-65 years. After all, no matter how physically trained, active and developed a person is, excess weight inevitably leads to diseases of the liver, heart, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis ... It is interesting that after the end of a sports career (the maximum sports age of Sumo wrestlers is 35 years), many back to moderate eating. And are able, within a few years, to significantly lose weight.

Spectacular pumping of the body - Health Portal